Means for automatically closing electric circuits.



No. 879,648. PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908.

F. W. KEBLER."

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

' APPLICATION FILED AU'G.1B. 1906.

UNITED sTaTEs PATENT oEEIGE.

FAYETTE WILLIAM or TEMPLE, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF To W. MORANTS,

.OF TEMPLE, TEXAS.

-MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CLOSIN G ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

.Application filed August 18. 1906. Serial No. 331.216.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FAYETTE WILLIAM KEELER, citizen of the United States, reside ing at Temple, in the county of Bell and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Means for Automatically C o'sing Electric Circuits, of which the following is a specification.

. The present invention is essentially advantageous for railways or systems operating but I a single wire'since it will automatically close I the circuit 1f opened at anyone or more stations in the time specified, thereby saving considerable annoyance and delay. Moreover, it also enables the train dispatcher to communicate with all the operators at once,

vif needs be, as Well as to awaken those who are unfortunate enough to be asleep.

. For a full description of the invention and the merits'thereof and also to acquire a knowl edge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result,'reference is to be had to the following description and acj com anying drawings.

, ile the invention may be adapted to difierent forins and conditions by changes in "the structure and minor details without de parting from the spirit or essential features Figural isa diagrammatic view. Fig. 2

is a detail view of a series of circuits to be thereof, still the preferred embodiment is shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which the circuit-closer for the bell circuit.

. Corresponding and like parts are referred closed at one time. .Fi 3 is a detail view of to in the following description and indicated j 4 disk 4, the gearing com rising the train being dis I driver, is loosely mounted upon the outer end in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

- Thenumeral 1 indicates a clock movement of ordinary construction adapted to be operated by a spring 2, which is adapted to be wound in the usual manner. The train of gearing may embody any' number of elements and comprises an arbor 3 provided with a proportioned as to, rive the arbor 3 and r 4 at any required rate of speed. A

of the arbor 3 and is approximately of capform, consisting of a-sleeve 5 and an annulus or plate 6, the latter adapted to make frictional engagement with the disk 4. A bearing point 7 is provided at the outer end of the driver or sleeve portion'thereof and is adapted to receive the thrustof a lever 8 pivoted at 9 and adapted to operate between sto s 10 and 1].. A pointer 12 is connected wit 1 the driver or sleeve so as torotate therewith when the plate or .part 6 is in frictional contact with the disk 4.

An adjustable contact 13 is arranged in the path of the pointer 12 and forms one terminal of a bell circuit, the pointer 12 constituting the other terminal of said circuit. The bell is indicated at 14, and 15 and 16 are Wires leading therefrom .to the parts 12 and 13, a battery 17 being interposed in thelength of the"wire 16. Normally, the parts 12 and 13'are out of contact and upon application of ressure to the point 7 through the lever 8, t 1e parts 4 and 6 are brought into engagement and the driver caused to rotate with the part 4, whereby the pointer 12 is carried around and brought into contact with the part 13,.c1osing the bell circuit and sounding an alarm. The lever 8' is normally acted uponby a retractile spring 18 and is provided with an armature 19 which cooperates with the core of an eleotro-magnet 20 included in a circuit with the local sounder 21..

The circuit includes wires 22 and 23, the local battery 24 being interposed in the wire 22. An armature 2-5 constitutes one terminal of the local circuit and a contact 26 forms the'other terminal and when the local circuit is closed, as when the parts are in normal osition, the 'armatures of the local soun er and the electro-magnet'20 are attracted, thereby holding the lever 8 away from the point 7 of the driverand permitting continuous movement of the train of gearing nect therewith upon opposite sides of the key-30' The shunt circuit is adapted to be closed at 33 upon opening the main line circuit by the key 30 in the manner presently to be explained.

The bell circuit, also the circuits of the several instruments, are adapted to be closed at 34, which represents two series of contacts normally separate, but which are brought into electrical connection to close the several circuits at or about the instant the alarm circuit is closed. One set of contacts is carried by a strip 35 which is supported in normal position by means of a lug 36 on the arm 37 of the bell hammer and which arm, when moved towards the bell, witl'idraws the lug from beneath the strip and permits contacts into engagement.

It will be observed that the alarm circuit is first closed at 12 and 13 and is subsequently short circuited at 34, thereby peri the same to move and bring the two sets of .mitting continuous ringing of the bell even though the contact points 12 and 13 should separate to again open the bell circuit. At about the same instant that the bell or alarm circuit is closed at 34, the main circuit is closed and energizes the electro-magnet 27 of the relay and attracts its armature 25, thereby closing the local circuit and energizing the electromagnet which attracts its armature 19 and-one end of the lever 8 so as to release the pressure upon the point 7, whereby the pointer 12 returns to normal position. V,

It isto be understood that the pointer 12 is weighted at its lower end and normally han gs perpendicular and its movement is such with relation to the distance of the contact 13 therefrom that a minute or a minute and a half must elapse before the two contacts 12 v and 13 come together after the pointer begins its movement.

Provision is had to automatically close the. main circuit when the clock movement has about run down, this being ell'ected by means of a spring contact 38 arrang.-d in the path of the spring 2 and a conatct 39. A wire 10 connects the spring contact 38 with r the shunt wire 32, and a wire 41 connects the contact 39 with the shunt wire 31. The s ring contact 38 is arranged in the path of tie spring 2 to be pressed upon thereby whensait spring 2 is nearly or quite rundown to cause the contacts 38 and 3 9 to come together and close the circuit. It is to be understood that the spring 2 is of the spiral type and expands as it unwinds or runs down, the contacts 38 and 39 being so arranged as to be brought in electrical con-v nection at the prescribed moment. 7

Operation: The parts being disposed substantially as herein disclosed when the main line is open, as for instance by means of the key 30, the ari'i'iature of the relay is moved away from the core of the clcctro-magnct 27 by the action of the spring 42, thereby breaking the local circuit, including the electromagnet 20 and 2]. The instant the electromagnet 20 is deencrgizral, the lever 3 is moved by the spring .18 to carry the armature 19 away from said elc tromagnet and against the stop 11, thereby causing the opposite end of said lever 8 to press upon the point 7 which brings the parts 4 and (i in contact, whereby the pointer 12 is turned until it comes in contact with the part 13, thereby closing the alarm or bell circuit. When the arm 37'is moved at its free end towards the bell, the lug 36 is withdrawn from the strip 35, thereby permitting short circuiting of'the alarm circuit at 34 and insuring continuous ringingf The action of the arm 37 also releases one. or more main line contact points to suit conditions, as indicated in Fig; 2. After all the instruments connected with the contact points shown in Fig. 2 have been short-circuited, the circuit is established in the main line wire that is open, thereby closingthe local circuit which energizing the electro-magnet 20 attracts the armature 19',

and moves the lever S away from the driver, and the pointer 12 being free assumes a normal position by gravitative force or other manner that may be determined upon. As the pointer 12 assumes a normal position, the bell. or alarm circuit is broken at 12 and 13, but the bell continues to ring because short-circuited at 3 1. The attention of the attendant being attractedby the ringing of the bell, examines the connection of all the instruments and if any be found defective, the same is corrected, the bell circuit and all the instruments being cut in by movement of the strip 35 and engaging the same with the lug 36 in the manner heretofore stated. The strip 35 may be of any material and con struction and the contacts attached thereto are electrically insulated, whereas the complemental contacts are correspondingly placed and electricallyinsulated. One set of contacts, only, are included in the bell or alarm circuit, whereas corres ending contacts of the series are electrically connected with circuits of the respective instruments of a building, station or other locality or system. Each office, station or point is similarly equipped and in the case of a railroad the devices are placed on the train despatchers wire, and as the armature in all of the devices move in unison it is readily understood that when-an open circuit is made on said'wire that all the bells will ring. As heretofore' stated, the contact point 13 is placed at such a distance from the pointer 12 so that a definite period of time will elapse before the contacts 12 and 13 are electrically connected, as for instance, one minute or one minute and a half. The interval of time can be varied by moving the contact point 13' with reference to, the pointer 12. If any other wire be opened, if a short circuit drops or contacts, as shown in Fi 2, all that is necessary to do to eflect closing the same is to open the train wire until the ointer 12 makes electrical connection with t e contact 13, which will close the bell or alarm circuit and allow all the circuits, which includes the one which is opened, to become short-circuitcd at 34, whereby all the instruments are I again cutinto circuit.

From the foregoing it will be understood,

sary aswell as to awaken any who had fallen asleep. When the clock movement is nearly or quite run down, the instrument is short-circulted and cannot [whpelutcd until the spring 2 is wound. This insures the instrmnent' being kept wound, otherwise it will be useless, because cut out of action through shunt. wires 31 and 32, and bythe wires 40-47 and the renta -M 3S and 39.

The above described itilp'z'lirl us is installed at each oi the scv rm "lullUllS on the main line circuit cmstitut d by the wires 28 and 39 and forms a means for preventing the main circuit from being interrii-pted at any one otthc-stations for a longer time than that required for the pointer 12 to make contact with the member -13, without the sounding of an alarm. ()wing to the l'act that it takes an appreciable length of time sucfh as a minute and a half or two minutes as previously mentioned [or the pointer 'to reach the contact- 13, the short breaks in the circuit required in transmitting a message may bc-madc without throwing the alarm mechanism into operation. it will thus be apiarcnt that while the main line circuit can be broken for shortlengths of time in receiving or transmitting a message, it can not be permanently intc'ruptcd without sounding an alarm at. each ofthe stations and causing the different operators or attendants to in 'local circuit including an electro-magnet siect all connections'lo locate and remedy the trouble.

Having thus descrilmd the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. In c mibination, an alarm circuit, a

and adapted to be opened and closed, a lever il(-l.l!'il(ll by the magnetizing and the demagnetizing of said eleotro-magnet of the local circuit, and circuit closing means for the alarm circuit adapted to be operated by said lever, the same consisting of a rotary member, a corn lemental member brought into operative re at-ion therewith upon movement of the said lever in one direction, a contact carried by said com'plemental member and included in the alarm circuit, and a second contact likewise" included in said alarm circuit.

2. In combination, an alarm circuit, a local circuit including an. electro-magnet and cooperating lever provided with an arma ture, said local circuit adapted to be opened and closed, and circuit closing means for the alarm circuit adapted to be controlled by meansof'the aforesaid lever and com rising a rotary member and a complementa member adapted to be brought into contact with said rotary member b y the actionof the aforesaid lever.-

3. In combination, an alarm circuit including cooperating contacts, one of said contacts being movable, a rotary member, a

complemental member adapted to be brought into contact with the rotary member and provided with said movable contact mem bers, a. lever adapted to effect engagement of the rotary and complementalmembers, and an electric circuit including an electroma net arranged to effect movement of the saidlever.

4. In combination, a main circuit, a secondary circuit including contacts, a clock movement as means for bringing said co'ntacts of the secondary circuit into engage-- ment, and a cut out circuit having-contacts arranged with reference to the clock movement to be actuated thereby whensaid movement is nearlyor quit-c run-down to effect cutting of the instrument out of circuit when the clock movement is nearly or quite run down.

5. In combination, an alarm circuit, a

clock movement, electrically actuated means for effecting a closing of the alarm circuit by conjoint cooperat on, and contacts for short 'circuiting the alarm circuit by inward movement of the hammer thereof, whereby said alarm circuit willc'ontinue to sound after the primaryactuating means have been restored to normal condition.

6. In combination, an alarm circuit including a'fixed and a movable contact, a

rotary member, a complemental. member carrying said movable contact, a local circuit including an electro-magnet and circuit closing means, a lever actuated by said electro-magnet and adapted to bring the rotary member and its cooperating complemental member into cooperative engage ment, a main. line including a relay for actuating the circuit. closing means ol" said local circuit, a shunt circuit looped into the main timiously sounds until the parts are read- 16 justed by the attendant.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FAYETTE wnmr im KBELER. {m} Witnessesa W. J. Ewmc, G. W. COTTER. 

